Dear Friends and Family,

I have finally had a chance to catch my breath and update you all on our journey to this point. You will occasionally also be receiving E-mails written by other pilgrims about their experiences. The first of these was written by Janet Light of Hawaii and will be following this message.

The delegation arrived in Delhi as planned. Some had delays, but most traveled safely and smoothly. A large number of women arrived early to visit the Taj Mahal. This short side trip was not a part of the actual pilgrimage, but 32 delegates chose to join us in the bus trip to Agra.

We arrived after five hours of bumping along on the Indian roads. Most of us spent this trip getting to know each other and exclaiming when we saw various animals on the road. First the pilgrims were excited by cows and monkeys, which are quite common in Dharamsala. But then we saw camels and elephants, which are not as common. It was festive, though a long bus ride after traveling so far. We then walked through a gauntlet of street merchants, all trying to sell us their wares. Most of these were cheap tourist items, and we had to be persistent as they pressed against us.

The Taj Mahal itself was quite beautiful. Being one of the seven wonders of the world, many of us were deeply touched just to be in this place, to stand and see such a famous site. The Taj Mahal was built by a king for his beloved wife who died centuries ago. For many of us hopeless romantics, this was a very moving place to be. We walked around the magnificent grounds and saw the marble inlaid with precious stones, the pools reflecting light, and the flowers and other landscaping.

Beth Brown, one of our pilgrims, was fascinated by the acoustics of the Taj Mahal itself, and she took great joy in chanting within the dome. It was truly holy when I walked into the magnificent dome and heard the angelic chant. We were all disappointed when the guard made her stop singing. She went in two more times to sing while we were there.

We met back at the busses for lunch (though it was already late afternoon), and some expressed interest in returning to the Taj Mahal for a little bit longer since we had already come so far. Quite a few others were exhausted and just wanted to begin the five hours back to the hotel. Tsering Dorje, our Tibetan guide, took a large group back, and I stayed with eight other women to return to the Taj. We laughed about how we were the nine sisters, setting out for a powerful time.

When we returned, the guards did not want to let us back in, but I was persistent and Tara prevailed. Half of us stayed outside watching as the sun left the sky while the other half went back to sing in the dome. The sky was a misty gray, and the colors of the marble changed as the light faded. The Taj is only open from sunrise to sunset, so there are no lights. As we descended into darkness, it was phenomenal to watch this magnificent structure disappear, and then reappear as the light from Agra shone dimly from behind. It was quiet and beautiful after the frenetic journey to get there.

The group that went inside say the experience was truly spiritual. Since there were few other tourists, the guards allowed them to stay and sing and dance inside the dome. Amy Emrich told me that she will never be able to forget the vibrations of sound as they rang throughout her entire body. We were all quite glad we made the decision to stay.

Our Opening Ceremony

We then returned to Delhi to meet the rest of our delegation. On the morning of the 18th we shared a beautiful opening ceremony. Each pilgrim was greeted with hugs, a lei of marigolds, a katak (a traditional Tibetan blessing), and showered with rose petals. During this, Anahata sang her newly composed greeting song:

We greet you in friendship!
We shower you with flowers!
We honor your commitment
To manifest wisdom, compassion, and power!
Hla Gyalo! (which means Praise to the Shining Ones),
Hla Gyalo!
Ki ki So so (Hip, hip, hurray), Hla Gyalo.
Hla Gyalo! Hla Gyalo! Ki ki So so.
Zambuling Shi dey (Peace on Earth).

Prema then spoke with us about the obstacles we faced to get here. So many women came from so far. We honored those who could not join us due to circumstances. Jennifer Case, our registrar who has worked countless hours organizing the pilgrimage, is one who for medical reasons chose not to come at the last minute. We then each introduced ourselves. Then we danced again, Tara¡s mantra, dedicating our light to all those conflicts in the world. I have had the opportunity to dance the mantra dozens of times, but this time it brought tears to my eyes. I wept for those who could not join us. I wept for those who are hurting. I wept for joy as I heard the voices of my Tara sisters from all over the globe ring out for peace. I wept for the beauty of the dance. I offered all I could to Tara, and received manifest blessings in return. It was an auspicious beginning to say the least.

Our delegation then boarded buses for our two-day journey to McLeod Ganj, the upper part of Dharamsala where we will be staying for the first half of our pilgrimage. We stopped at the Sufi shrine of Hazrat Inayat Khan, where we danced and prayed. Many of our Tara dancers came to the dance through Sufi dancing, so this was an appropriate beginning. After staying the night in Chandigarh, we continued our journey. Though we met some unexpected obstacles along the way, we reached our destination filled with joy. The mountain views here truly take away my breath every time. We were all grateful for the opportunity to stay in one place for at least a short time.

Yesterday we met with the nineteen Tibetan women who will dance with us. Prema, Anahata, Carol, Donna and I have been teaching them the dance, and we were eager for the rest of the group to meet them. We rehearsed the mandalas in the afternoon. 85 women from 24 countries of origin, Praising the Goddess, Empowering Each other. Om Tare!!!!!

Bright Tara Blessings,
Jessica Zebrine