These pictures, seen above, are from a havan at Bordi where the Sahaja Yogis used to go before Ganapatipule. We went down to Bordi by train and they carried Shri Mataji in a bullock cart. It was right by the sea and it was also there that the pictures of Shri Mataji standing in the sea with a few of us around Her were taken.
The havan was on one of the evenings and the Indian Sahaja Yogis, four ladies who were looking after Shri Mataji, laced the threads around Her in a very intricate way around each toe and back around Her head. We (the foreigners) sat around three sides of the fire and Shri Mataji was facing the fourth side. There were a number of Indian yogis there, perhaps around one hundred. They read the thousand names of the Goddess.
Personally it was tough, as I felt as if I was burning almost as much as the fruit that was placed on the little wall around the flames. As we watched it blister and blacken you felt as if parts of you were blistering and blackening and dropping off and you could hardly bear it – but you knew you had to hang on in there. It was like a major battle going on inside and you had to just sit tight and let it happen. Afterwards, when the threads had been unwound from Shri Mataji’s body, they were distributed to everyone to wear as rakhis, tied on the wrist.
It was also at this Bordi camp that one evening Shri Mataji said She was pleased with everyone and they could ask for a boon and we all sat there desiring the ultimate and She broke in on our earnest thoughts.
‘No, no, ask for something material for yourselves,’ She said. It was extraordinary.
At this session Shri Mataji got us to try putting lemon peel on our eyes to clear our Agnyas – it stung like mad but worked! My brother Pat was really ill after the session in the sea, because the sun and his liver did not go together well. He had to stay in his room – he felt so bad – and suddenly there was a knock at the door and Shri Mataji appeared there to see him.
Maureen Rossi