Giri Pradakshina – 13 November 2008

I circumambulated Mt. Arunachala last night with what some estimate as over a million people. I walked around 8 miles in 4.5 hours. I took one 15 minute break for soup. I’ve been averaging 1.5 meals a day for the last 3 days, that was my .5.

When it’s done on the full moon, it’s called Giri Pradakshina. I lasted 45 minutes barefoot. The pebbles got me. I wore my sandals for another hour, then put my lace up walking shoes with custom orthotics on. I had to stop going into the temples and shrines at that point, as it wasn’t worth the time and trouble to take off my shoes and socks each time.

It wasn’t the soles of my feet that were problematic, it was mechanical problems. It felt like I had a stress fracture in my left foot for around 3 hours, which was not fun. The last 30 minutes were excruciating, my right foot felt like it was on fire and both hurt pretty bad. When I passed the woman lying in someone’s lap on the road with no hands or feet, I counted my blessings and expressed extreme gratitude that I had feet that could hurt.

I took my pack with both pairs of shoes in it and my camera and phone. My shoulders hurt the entire walk. I realized when it was over, I was preoccupied with my discomfort the entire time. The walk is said to symbolize one’s outer life. That’s interesting.

It was very surreal. I walked from 10pm until 2:30am. Since it was dark, things just popped up out of the night. Street vendors lined the route with the normal things like malas and statues and garlands of flowers food as well as the most bizarre things like robots with blinking red and blue lights and wee faeries on flowers and peeping chicks. Very odd, that.

I snagged three pineapple slices for 9 rupees. That’s less than 1 cent per slice. A banana was also 3 rupees, less than 1 cent. I love that this tropical fruit is all local! I still haven’t tried the fresh squeezed sugar cane juice. The cleanliness of the glasses and juicers seem suspect to me. Given what I’ve consumed and lived to tell about so far, the fact I’m suspicious of these things says a lot.

I woke up this morning with Om Namah Shivaya running through my head. The mountain is said to be a Shiva lingam, or Shiva in form. I notice I have some gender issues around Shiva lingams and some resistance and resentment is there. I think part of this is getting in my way in my other practices. This bears looking into.

I’m in unfamiliar space since the walk. Actually, that kind of makes me laugh. I think unfamiliar space could probably be said to be the most familiar space for me these days. Anyway, I haven’t integrated the walk yet. My body is doing wonderfully, I’m only moderately sore. That’s quite amazing, given as how I could barely walk across a room two years ago. I’m thankful for my physical health and wellbeing.

There are other, more subtle, effects that haven’t sorted themselves out yet. I was tired and cranky this morning and I’m letting myself take as long as it takes. Tomorrow I think I’ll get an Ayurvedic massage.