Inspired by the meetings with the Indigenous Grandmothers in the Netherlands, I flew to Nepal in November. We stayed overnight as a stopover in Mumbai. In the hotel I found out that I left my iPhone in the plane. At least this was a clear* beginning. I would not be disturbed by phone calls, emails and text messages. We flew on. When we were almost landing I was overwhelmed by the magnificent Himalayas. She arises as a big beauty and a powerful manifestation of Nature.

The next day we had a meeting with all the Grandmothers. Grandmother Aama Bombo, who lives in Nepal opened the three-day gathering with a fire ceremony. As the ceremony continued I saw a remarkable woman between the Grandmothers. I had never seen her before at gatherings. Now it appeared that had one of the women who assisted the Grandmothers had had a dream. And while she was sitting in the taxi she told this to the driver who brought her to the gathering. The dream was about a very wise old lady who (had a lot of wisdom and) lived in the mountains. 

The taxi driver knew right away which woman she was referring to. She is a Sjaman and a Tura (midwife) named Amaan. She was 97 years old and lived in the Dang area situated in Inner Terai, 410 km west of the capital Kathmandu. Amaan is a Shaman. Years ago people died because she predicted that a number of people would die. Her prediction was not appreciated by the people in her village. She was not allowed to practice shamanism anymore. From that moment on she became a midwife and has assisted seven generations to give birth to their children. Amaan had never been out of the village, but now she knew that her time was ready to get out and bless the Indigenous Grandmothers. 

She was retrieved by a helicopter and was brought to the Gathering. Amaan is blind and tiny, and she has difficulty walking with a cane, but when she blessed the Grandmothers, she stood up straight and raised her stick to give her blessings. So much strength came from her. It made me very emotional. For the first time I participated all the Grandmothers’ ceremonies. 

Grandmother Rita Long Visitor Holy Dance of South Dakota is always holding a pipe ceremony; although it is usual within her people that this ceremony is done by a man. When I experienced her ceremony I felt her pain and the pain of her people. She knew that the time had come that the Indigenous people will disappear and she knows that this is the way to pass on her wisdom to us. She feels that the people in Nepal live from the heart more than in any other country.

At the closing of  the three days Gathering we received a collective healing from Grandmother Aama Bombo. She and her people began to beat on their drums and Grandmother Aama fell into a trance. She called on all the Hindu gods and goddesses. It was as if I heard the names of the participants. 

That night I became sick and I threw up all night. The next day I had to join the bus as we were going for ten days on tour and our first activity was rafting on the river. I could participate the programme, but at nights I was not well. Could it have something to do with the healing of Grandmother Aama?

The last days of my visit to Nepal I wanted to spend my time alone in the mountains. I went to the travel agency near the hotel Summit which was built by the Dutch writer Cas den Stoppelaar. I knew this tour guide. She arranged another guide for me who would accompany me on a walk to the Dhulikkel of Nargarkot. Prior to this hike, I would sleep in the Bassee hotel where I would be the only guest. I enjoyed the view of the Himalayas. When I went to bed there was one candle I could use for lighting and because of the cold I slept with my clothes on.

The boy who worked for the hotel was constantly in my neighbourhood and wanted to know everything about me. When I asked him questions he told me that he learned English in the evenings and during the day he worked in the hotel. He lived down the mountain. His father died when he was very young. He has a brother and a sister and together with his mother they lived with an aunt and uncle who also have three children in very small house. All the money he earned is spent on medication for his mother.

He indicated that he suffered for two years from his throat and therefore spoke hoarsely. I felt that his sore throat had something to do with his loss of his father and I gently asked him if he wanted to have contact with his father. Yes, he really wanted to. I told him how he could ask contact through meditation. He was going to try it right away that evening.

The next day after having enjoyed a beautiful sunrise I had breakfast and there was my friend already waiting for me. He glowed when he told me that his throat was a lot better, but he had missed me because he was scared to make contact with his father. I advised him to keep on trying. After all, it requires a certain training. I gave him my book about the "Rinos". The story was in Nepalese with an English translation. So he was able to work a bit on his English. I felt blessed when I started my hike. What a beautiful encounter this was. We even didn’t know each others name.

Click on the microphone to hear: Om Mani Pemme Hum