Agnihotra in Australia

by Lee Ringma

Workshop in Syndey
Recently Frits and Lee Ringma conducted a workshop in Sydney organized by Asha Agarwalla and hosted by Kalpana at her beautiful home on the harbour, Sydney, Australia. It was a large gathering mostly from the local Indian community.  Thirteen people took up Agnihotra and Asha is happy to organize gatherings to keep people inspired and to provide support.

Asha is an optometrist and has made a natural remedy for the eyes which includes Agnihotra eye drops. At the workshop a young woman told us that she had inflammation of the eyes and was told she would need to be on steroids for the rest of her life. The natural eye drops cured her condition quickly and effectively.

(Note: Monika Koch, author of  Homa Therapy, the Ancient Science of Healing, gives the following instructions for preparing Agnihotra ash eye drops:
“Agnihotra eye drops need to be prepared anew daily. Mix one part Agnihotra ash powder with ten parts distilled water. This mixture has to be boiled on low flame for 10 minutes, afterwards pass the mixture through filter paper, triple folded close meshed cheese cloth or similar. From the solution which has passed the filter one can several times a day apply one drop into each eye and also rub one drop onto the skin around the eye.”-Ed.)

Agnihotra to Benefit Children and Community
Permaculture designer Jacqui Van Heerden took me to her permaculture food garden at the foot of the Housing Commission Flats in Kensington, Melbourne. These apartments are for low income families. Jacqui applied for a grant and set up the food gardens for the residents to freely use. We performed sunset Agnihotra there, the first of many to come to support the food growing and the uplifting of community.

Jacqui writes, “Over the past years understanding and researching the state of the planet has been integral to my work as a permaculture designer.  Through this time I started to become disheartened at the enormity of the damage we have done to our home  – forest clearing, land degradation, desertification, loss of species, polluted air, water and soil. The big systems of the planet that regulate to ensure we can live on this planet have been disrupted so much by our behaviour that for this Earth to continue to be livable, we actually have to help restore these systems.

“As well, the trauma that humanity sits with. After discussions with colleagues who have worked with trans-generational trauma and family trauma for 30 years – and the recent revelations of 1 in 3 women being abused, plus the greed and abuse of power where 1  percent of people own 99 percent of the wealth–all of this made me think, ‘How are we going to restore our planet if humanity is so sick?’

“One of the places I volunteer is at the Venny Adventure Playground, where young children who don’t have a backyard can go and play. Over the years we have slowly installed a permaculture organic garden to add diversity, provide nutrient-rich organic food to reduce reliance on industrialized monoculture farming (which is a big contributor to the problems mentioned above) and combat climate destruction and carbon emissions.

“The Venny Inc. has been facing funding challenges and an increase in demand for care for those at risk and vulnerable.  Danny (who has been a prime carer at the Venny for 15 years) and I spoke about what could we do to further provide a sanctuary.  That’s when a friend sent me a link about Homa Therapy.  I emailed Lee to find out what to do.  Lee kindly offered to run a free workshop – Danny and I said yes.  A workshop was planned and over 30 people attended – the first sunset Agnihotra held at the Venny was so powerful – it was palpable.”

After the workshop a level of peace and calm settled on the Venny. I went to do volunteer gardening a couple of weeks afterwards and was hit by the continuing calm that was present.  We have done a further Agnihotra at the Venny on the recent new moon and will continue to do it at various events to give the Venny a boost; so not only providing a creative playground and good vegetarian food to the children but also a healing atmosphere.

“Agnihotra has been an answered prayer to me as I realize that there is something that can be done which can restore and repair the planet as well as humanity that hooks into a divine process that has been ever present and scientifically proven. At home after doing Agnihotra a few times my husband noticed how the fronds of our big palm tree seemed to suddenly relax.

“I thank Lee and Frits for the 30 years they have been dedicated to this and for sharing this important and valuable science for us to use in these times which require it.

“My hope has been restored to know that we can push back this tide of destruction.  I will continue to do Agnihotra to become part of the solution and take responsibility for my behaviour and my ancestral behaviour that has created the state of our home.  We are caretakers of divine property.”