Rome, Italy
My friend Madhu Sevita, is not a clairvoyant. Light-heartedly he claimed ‘I was an Italian in my past life.’ He thought
I would fit in with his countrymen.
So here I am in the heart of the Roman Empire feeling somewhat like I belong. Was I a gladiator?
Mukunda and I started out early reaching the Colosseum by 6am before the tourists crowds set in. Hmmmm. It’s impressive, a piece of the past.
Two thousand years ago it was a stadium which held 50.000 spectators. Unfortunately, it was a genuine place of death featuring horror entertainments.
Our next stop was St. Peters Basilica but while taking to walking there you see more grandeur of the past such as god ruins and great architecture preserved. A stop over at the Pantheon where all the gods were once worshiped allowed us the chance to check out the acoustic in this huge dome shaped structure. The sound of the maha-mantra set well in that space.
St. Peter’s was stunning. You won’t help your head from turning every which way.
Every direction displayed art. Personally I enjoyed a modern piece of Francesco of Assisi outside the Basilica near the war memorial.
Mukunda insisted I see at least one more spot, the Crypt of the Capuchins. There stacked together artistically arranged are the skulls and bones of hundreds of monks from the Capuchin mission. Its message is clear though: death closes the gates of time, and opens those of eternity.
Mukunda and I roamed the city, and then returned to his home to a gathering of eager devotees to hear something I might be able to inspire them with. Of course I can’t take any credit for words that enthuse. It’s all the mercy of guru.
10 KM
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