Getting invited to teach in Europe was the easy part. Now came the planning, organizing, and other details. Keep in mind all this was before email and mobile phones. We would send a fax if something was needed right away, but a regular letter sent by post was still the most common means of communication. My first invitation came from a spiritual center in the Netherlands, but a few months before the date, the river overflowed and the center needed to shut down. Trip postponed. It took another half a year before I was re-invited to come to teach. Once this was fixed, a group from Reshad in Frankfurt also sent an invitation. My hosts Werner, Wolfgang, and Helga later became friends.
Then came the big invitation from Reshad. When he heard I was coming to Europe, he insisted I also visit him at his center in Lucerne Switzerland. I planned on a two month trip with travel by train. It was to be an exciting journey. I got my plane ticket, and my Eurail pass. The pass was good for all the countries I planned to visit. The pass allowed travel in first class on as many trains as I wish during those two months. It was a wonderful way to get around since I would be greeted by my hosts at the station who took me the rest of the way.
My first entry to Europe and the first of many stops was to Reshads center, Johanneshof. Met at the airport in Zurich I was royally treated and even told to ask for whatever I wished. I was given a personal assistant during my stay to see to my needs and accompany me on sightseeing trips around Lucerne. It was wonderful and overwhelming to be treated in such a special way.
Reshad being a trickster by nature, informed the students weeks before my arrival, a great yogi would be coming and he could access the kundalini energy. He made it sound like I was a rare gift. Then just before I arrived, he warned them I was a master who can manipulate the creative energy, no woman or man would be safe from my influence. So he first built me up and then warned all the students how I can misuse my energy. I only learned of this later, but upon my arrival, I did notice the strange mix of energy the students had about my presence. He loved to break open anything that limited us from our true powerful self. I found this amusing when I heard this story some weeks later. Reshad had set up my visit perfectly to confuse everyone. First feeding their projection of me being a great teacher and then to burst this concept with a terrible warning. The students really had no idea what to expect. This allowed them to be more aware of actually seeing me without projections.
To continue his plan of confusion, Reshad informed the students in the house that I would not be teaching yoga because I had such a huge ego and expected to be the important teacher. None of that was true. A few hours later, he asked me to lead a meditation with a unicord, an amazing instrument. After dinner, he asked me to lead sadhana at six in the morning. He was just testing my humility and attitude of service. It was a great show.
The first mornings in sadhana only six people showed up. As the word spread, more people came. On the weekend, Reshad was teaching a course with an additional 80 students in the center. The sadhana attendance went up to 60 people. It was a tight fit in the space with students squeezing into every space and requiring opening the double doors to the next room. During these morning classes, one female student always took the first space in front and wore a loose-fitting shirt with nothing underneath. It was another new experience for me.
This was great fun and another opportunity to meet more members of the Living School. From this course, more people got to know kundalini yoga and this led to more invitations. I was now going to teach in Vienna, Munich, and Bremen. I made more friends and had some truly wonderful experiences. It was a blessing to be able to serve Reshad and the students of the Living School.
Guided by Reshad, I made a special experience around money. There was never any discussion about getting paid for my teaching. When I finished teaching, I was given an envelope with money inside. At first, this made me nervous. After the first couple of envelopes contained more than I expected, I relaxed. It was amazing to not have to discuss or worry about the money exchange. It was done with such respect and joy. As much as possible I continue this way of dealing with money.
This was how my European tour began. For the next six weeks, I was teaching every day except when I was traveling by train to the next city. It was a very intense once-in-a-lifetime experience. At the end of the six weeks with no days off, I was completely drained and needed some days to recover. Remember the woman with the loose shirt? I visited her in Solothurn and we then traveled together around Italy for two weeks until it was time for me to return to Santa Fe. Europe felt more like home than any place I have been in the USA. I decided to ask inside myself to be invited back. Another of the powerful teachings from Reshad’s school is about only going someplace if you are invited. This can be understood on many levels.
It was an amazing series of events, meetings, and people that brought me to Europe. This has now been my home for nearly 25 years with no plans on leaving. The unseen nature of spirit is moving through all of us, all the time. To stop, breathe, notice, remember, and trust this unfolding of life, is the daily challenge. My journey to get to Europe is a great example of how this works in a practical way. Reminds me of a prayer of mine. “Let me be blindly guided by a loving force.”
