The website of Rene Navarro
The Med Tour
It was actually Bhutan I wanted to visit. In one of those strange synchronicities in my life, I had met Karma Lhatrul Rinpoche in Bali, a lama from Bhutan. One night an Italian friend Francesca rang me up to tell me we were having dinner in Sopa, a vegan restaurant in Ubud. That’s where I first met Karma, a lama from Bhutan.
Photos from Singapore
Once again I am late in reporting on my recent travels. A serious jet-lag, characterized by sleepiness and exhaustion mixed with a busy schedule, forced me to put the materials aside. I had become lackadaisical. I was editing some essays from the 1980s, satires against the Marcos regime, to feature in the anniversary of the martial law regime in February but I was seized with the so-called manana complex. I kept putting the blog off and before I realized it, we’re into April, the “cruelest month” and tax time. To top it off, I had a couple of eye surgeries for my cataracts. Yes, I am getting on in years! ☺
Photos from Batanes
***The unbelievably sheer massiveness of the temples and pyramids has left archaeologists, scholars, explorers and plain speculators so skeptical that they attribute the construction to the Lost Continent of Atlantis and Extraterrestials.
But the explanation may be more down-to-earth and accessible: it was human ingenuity and determination that assembled the edifices. Let us not dismiss or underestimate human ability. The ancient Egyptians were capable of such incredible feats of engineering, after all. ***
These are a select collection of photographs taken within a period of 15 years, some from the time I was teaching in Egypt, some from November 2018 on my most recent tour. The woman with me at the Sphinx is Amal Elfar, a professional guide and Egyptologist of Friendly Planet. She led the group through the history of the country, the machinations of the pharaohs, the generals and the politicians, the intricacies of hieroglyphs on the walls, ceilings and pillars, the geology and geography of the land, the reliefs (high and low), and the obscure details that made the ancient past come alive.
By the time you read this, I will be in Egypt. I am looking forward to a few things but I really do not know what to expect. A place can change radically overnight. You have an image or experience of a city in your head and when you return, you are disappointed and frustrated or elated and inspired. Things do not stay the same. Of course, there is always that exceptional surprise if one is open to the wonder. I met a “Guardian of the Temple” in Karnak who demonstrated an important, probably secret, transmission, I had mystical experiences in the Queen’s Chamber (closed to the public) and in Cairo. Continue reading “Newsletter – November 2018”
These photos show different places where I felt a strong energy – Peru (Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca), Egypt (Gisa and Luxor) , Philippines (Mt Banahaw), China (Huangshan/Yellow Mountain and the Silk Road), Scotland (Highlands and Hebrides), Slovenia (St Catherine Church), England (Glastonbury and Stonehenge), Cambodia (Angkor Wat), Thailand and Hawaii (Maui and Oahu). If you follow the directions in the essay “Opening the Body to Nature” you will probably feel the same vibration I felt in these places. Continue reading “Power Vortices and Sacred Places”
My last few days were full. Aside from teaching from morning till night, I also had guests, old and new friends. Annie came to see me and stayed all day for lessons. Isabel came with Jackson. Annie introduced me to Vivien Tan: she and I talked for 3 hours on Wednesday and it seemed like time passed in a flash. Vivien invited me to her house where she and her women friends meet. The group was a kind of high note for me. I met some of the most interesting people in the city. I was particularly impressed by an Indian woman who knew the Indian classics that I have been studying. I look forward to listening to her ideas about the Gita, especially Chapters 10 and 11. Thanks to Vivien and her father and mother for spending time with me. Continue reading “Last days at AIM”
Luchie Maranan and I went to the grave of Ed Maranan in the outskirts of Baguio. Here is Ed’s epitaph. Luchie, Ed’s sister, brought the bouquet of flowers. I brought sandalwood incense and a Tibetan bell. In the pouring rain she and I performed a short ritual. Then we spent the rest of the day at Frangelli B&B with Lingling Maranan-Claver. These are some of the photos taken as we toured the villa. Continue reading “Baquio City, Ed Maranan’s Grave”