VOL. 29, NO. 4, NEW ERA 58, NOVEMBER & DECEMBER, 2001
Following the success of the First European Homa Therapy Conference that was held this May, the Second Conference, also held at Bhrugu Aranya, Poland, has been equally successful, with people coming from Germany, U.S., Austria, Finland, Sweden,
Poland, and Russia. It was held on September 14-16th. The conference was more international this time, as Irma Garcia was here representing South America. Richard Powers was also expected to come to represent the U.S., but after the terrible tragedies in New York and Washington, was unable to make it. We were also blessed by having Shree Vasant Paranjpe in residence.
It is intended that the conferences should be held twice yearly, to review what has been achieved and to further coordinate Homa Therapy in Europe. Therefore, there was much discussion concerning the practicalities of promotion and running Homa Farms. Shree Vasant has, however, stressed the importance of self-development now, more than ever before, so the three-day conference was also a time for inner growth and healing. The powerful healing energies at Brughu Aranya are suited to self -development, and the gathering of Agnihotra people all working for the Light was a joyful and energizing experience. Each day of the conference began with morning Hatha Yoga and ended with a large Healing Circle, followed by music, singing, and dancing. Future conferences will be focusing as much on self-development as on practical Homa Therapy work.
On the first day we discussed Homa Therapy Promotion, which included ideas on how to approach magazines and newspapers with articles, as this is considered the best way to reach the public. A possible good method is to approach journalists with an already written article together with photos, which means that the journalist has very little work to do, but, if he wants, he can take the credit for having written it! It is always a very good idea to have a nice caption, something like “Can Our Air Really be Cleansed?” We also shared new Websites that had been created since the last conference, and talked about producing a newsletter in which the public could submit their experiences with Agnihotra. Possibly, with new people starting Agnihotra, when they buy supplies, a card could be attached for them to share their Agnihotra healing experiences. These could form part of the newsletter.
The conference itself was a very good promotional event, as two journalists from a nationwide weekly magazine joined us, and a separate cameraman filmed the whole three days for a possible future documentary on Homa Therapy. Individual interviews were also made.
Two main topics concerning Homa Farming were ‘Homa Farm Certification’ and ‘Homa Seed Banks’. We will be creating certifications so that there will be certain compulsory requirements for any farm that wishes to call itself a Homa Farm. We discussed what the requirements should be and how to ensure that the standards are kept. For Europe, this is important as it will lend credibility to Homa products and also vouchsafe against incorrect methods that may discredit the effects of Homa Therapy. The next move is to discover how to legally create the certification and to investigate if we can include organic status. Additionally, we submitted ideas and examples for a common logo that will help people to easily recognize Homa products etc., no matter what country they are in. As to the subject of creating Homa seed banks, it was recognized that saving seeds from your garden is one way, but on a larger scale there needs to be a proper study into how to produce and maintain top quality seeds. It is very likely that Homa seeds may become in high demand as seed quality deteriorates and varieties disappear due to chemical farming methods and European Union regulations that place the control of seeds in the hands of just a few powerful companies. Volunteers have grouped together to look into seed production on a larger scale and to learn the individual requirements of different plants.
During the “World Update”, Irma Garcia described the amazing experiences in South America with the use of Homa Therapy both in agriculture and healing. For us in Europe, where Homa Therapy in agriculture has been slower to take off, the success in Peru and other Latin American countries is extremely encouraging, and there are ever more scientific projects, documents, testimonies and film footage validating the effects of Homa. Things are picking up in Europe now and there are a number of possibilities for new scientific projects in Poland. It was also great to have with us a new person, Alexandra Lyborskaya, from Russia, as she belongs to an active environmental group, Wholeworld Organization, that represents six countries: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belorussia, Ukraine and Russia. She was able to provide promotional ideas and informed us about Agnihotra in Russia. Russia may be a good candidate for future projects as many areas are totally lifeless due to pollution and radiation, so the rejuvenating effects of Homa Therapy could be easily registered. Dr. Ulrich Berk gave a great talk on Agnihotra and his experience on all matters was continually helpful throughout the conference.
The healing power of Agnihotra Ash medicines, as created by Monica Koch, a pharmacist from Germany, are well documented. The medicines alone are powerfully healing in their own right, and even more so when combined with being in a Homa atmosphere. Shree Vasant has often encouraged people to grow medicinal herbs, which in a Homa atmosphere are more potent and healing. The idea has naturally come about, then, to combine the two. The ash medicines and herbal remedies were therefore joined in a workshop led by Rory Maher and Asia Podanowska, a Polish woman who has been brought up with herbal medicine. The remedies are easy to make and use, from the simple idea of combining herbal infusions with Agnihotra ash, to creating Calendula Cream with ash, eye creams, St. John’s Wort oil, compresses, poultices, inhalations and baths. Also interesting was the use of apple cider vinegar for making herbal tinctures, instead of the usual alcohol based tinctures that are available in stores. The workshop was combined with an herb walk in the surrounding area where we were shown the vast treasure chest of medicinal herbs that Mother Nature provides, literally on our front doorstep. These wild herbs that grow naturally in a Homa atmosphere will also be more clean and powerful than those grown outside the effects of the fires and in chemically treated fields. The combinations and recipes for possible herbal preparations are endless, so making remedies and teas is a wonderfully creative occupation, and a great way of connecting with nature.
Irma García introduced the Homa Therapy De-addiction Program that was developed in U.S. It combines Homa Therapy with psychotherapy and requires the person undergoing the program to remain in a Homa atmosphere for the period of treatment, where they should be present for Agnihotra and perform Om Tryambakam Homa. The program also includes a healthy vegetarian diet, exercise and physical work. Irma’s experiences and those of certain people present proved the high success rate of the program and a high percentage of those who complete it do not go back to their old habit. If you would like to know more about this then please contact Irma Garcia.
A self-development activity was organized by Parvati that was based on the six crocodiles, which are Anger, Greed, Envy, Lust, Attachment and Pride. As it was explained, just as if when you are walking in the jungle you do not know when a crocodile can leap out at you, similarly, in our day to day life, we do not know when these six crocodiles will strike, and strike they do all the time. So the idea is to be prepared so that we do not get caught and fall every time. We can do this by becoming aware of our actions and thoughts and by strengthening the mind with discipline and Tapa. We were all asked to write on a piece of paper a time in our lives when we may have fallen prey to one of these crocodiles. These were all put in a hat and as they were drawn, the incident was discussed and we looked at ways to deal with it. It became a very helpful exercise and everyone participated. Mantra classes were held each day.
The conference was held at the Bhrugu Aranya guesthouse. The three-story wooden mountain guesthouse only needs one more floor to be fully completed, but the other two floors are finished and operational. The story of how this guesthouse has been built is a miracle in itself. Central heating has been added to the second floor and also an extra hot water tank to meet the demands of large groups. David Sawyer, from U.S., prepared delicious vegetarian food, and we hope he will be here for the next conference.
We now look forward to accomplishing everything that needs to be done to promote Homa Therapy in Europe, so as to have a solid foundation to work from for the Third Conference, to be held in May 2002. If you feel that you would like to come to the next conference, then please contact Parvati and Jarek at Bhrugu Aranya Healing Center, or Dr. Ulrich Berk in Germany.
Youth represent our future so anyone who cares about the future of our Earth should care equally about the direction of young people. We can see a reflection of our world today through the eyes of our children. Never has our world as a whole been in more dire straits and never have our youth been more disillusioned. I’m writing this article to share my experience as a young person, in hope that it might help others. It is not easy for me to talk about my past, as it is not something I am proud of. I strayed far from the path I was born into, only to return full circle.
I still look back and wonder where I went wrong. I was raised in Agnihotra atmosphere on a vegetarian diet. My parents did the best they could to guide me in the right direction. For a time it worked until I became more influenced by my friends and other outside influences. ( i.e. TV. and the condition of the world). From the age of about thirteen I started to experiment with cigarettes and marijuana. By the time I was fourteen I was addicted to tobacco, and by the time I was fifteen I was smoking marijuana almost every day. The effect this has on a young person is tragic. I remember these years as if they were one big dark cloud.
At the age of sixteen I went to live with my mother (Parvati Bizberg) in Poland. It was an attempt to rescue me from serious danger. Leaving my old friends and influences in the U.S. was supposed to deter me from this life-style, but instead Europe merely became my new stomping grounds. I enjoyed my way of being. My entire personality was dependent upon my addictions. I was always in a state of satisfying a desire. But if I could not satisfy that desire then I would become enraged, whether it would be smoking a cigarette, getting high, or being with a girl. When I was alone I felt something inside like a deep sadness, without the constant stimulation from people or drugs to be a buffer between me and my pain.
At first it starts as a curiosity. Then it becomes a habit and then it becomes an addiction. When these things develop into an addiction then true pain sets in. You are no longer in control. The substance, the thought, the action is in control of you. If I could not satisfy my habits I was insecure, angry, sad, depressed. Everyone always speaks of physical addiction. This is not the biggest culprit. The real enemy is psychological addiction. I was addicted to marijuana, to cigarettes, to altered states. But even if I went weeks without any of these things, long after they were out my system, the torturous craving was still there. This is why people can quit something for months, even years, and then return to them.
By the time I was eighteen I felt the need for a change. A change for me meant to physically go somewhere else. I moved from Europe back to the U.S, became a strict vegetarian again, quit cigarettes completely, and rarely drank. I still kept my strongest habit, which was marijuana. I smoked every day. For me it was more than just an addiction. It was an image, a way of being. I couldn’t imagine life without it. At the time I was very proud of myself for having quit eating meat and smoking tobacco. In a way it was a justification to keep this one habit. All of my friends smoked-every single one. One starts these things largely due to the company one keeps. Then once you are living this lifestyle, to change one’s habits without changing your company seems almost impossible. The only way I knew how to was to leave altogether. Every time I got high I felt low. I wasn’t going anywhere, just maintaining the state of numbness that comes from extreme use of marijuana.
I was killing all the emotions inside with pot and I couldn’t stand it any more. I realized for me that it was all or nothing. I had to quit all of these things or else I would waste my chances for happiness. I made the commitment to move back to Poland and live with my mother and stepfather, Jarek, on their Homa farm in the country. I would quit everything and do all of the disciplines. I had finally had enough.
What was to happen to me seemed nothing short of a miracle. I came to Poland right before the winter of 1998. No one lived at the farm except me, Parvati and Jarek at the time, and as an unwritten contract with myself I knew I couldn’t contact any of my old friends in Poland. I felt completely alone.
Through the fires and the amazing atmosphere maintained on a Homa Farm I was healed. The knot of pain and darkness that had lain in the pit of my stomach was removed bit by bit. It is not all of a sudden. It is a process, a healing process second to none. All of these desires and addictions were replaced by faith, love and strength. I am a completely different person and it seems impossible when I look back now, to think what I once was.
I am now a full time member of the community here at Bhrugu Aranya and live here with my wife Katherine and son Kabir. I’ve started my own business exporting jewelry and stones used for healing, and have devoted myself to this blessed path, which has turned my life around. Katherine and I are beginning to work with young people and are also involved in using the power of music for therapy. I now know that one of my jobs in life is to help young people who are ready to change, but don’t know how or where they can.
All love!
Today I can send a beautiful report of how Agnihotra and Homa atmosphere are healing and helping.
A friend of mine was totally sick with a psychosis. The physician had given such strong chemical medicines to calm the mind down, because the disease was so strong that all the muscles as well as the metabolism were so reduced in function that he was only able to look straight forward and to answer yes or no. He was about to remain in psychiatric hospital forever.
I offered for him to stay with me, to attend Agnihotra twice each day for balance of mind, and to take lots of Agnihotra ash internally, to help the system bring all these toxins out of the body to gain general good health again.
This we practiced for four weeks now and still continue to do so. In the meantime my friend was able to reduce and finally stop taking any further chemical medicine, as per consultation with his physician. Now he is completely cured and absolutely healthy again--all this within four weeks of just doing Agnihotra regularly and taking the Agnihotra ash four times per day internally.
This is such a great help and success, and so easy and natural. We feel so grateful and want to share this experience with other people who might need such information for further help.
OM SHREE!
All love,
Monika Koch
Germany
Dear friends,
I am compiling a list of Homa farms worldwide for display on the Tapovan website. If you would like your farm included in the directory please reply. Also, if you know of any other Homa farms either in your country or any other country please give me details. I will make a distinction between those farms which are following the Homa farming system of Shree Vasant and others where Agnihotra only is practised.
Thank you in anticipation of your cooperation.
All love,
Bruce
Bruce & Anne at Tapovan, India
Please visit our website at:
http://www.angelfire.com/realm/tapovan